Vending machine



March 10, 1959 R. H. RAY ,8

k VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 24, 1955 s Sheets-Sheet 2 F i J INVENTOR. Robert Has ti e Ray ATTORNEY March 10, 1959 R. H. RAY ,87 ,3

- VENDI'NG MACHINE Filed Feb. 24. 1955 s Sheet-Sheet s xi 1. i

IN V EN TOR.

Rob st'llc Ray B WM ATTORNEY Fig. 9

United States Patent @fficc 2,876,884 Patented Mar. 10, 1959 2 876 884: VENDING Robert Hastie-Ray, Indiana; .Paz'. Application February'2'4; wsssnnmt. 490300 7 Claims. (Cl. 194-40);

This invention relates to an improved vending'machine; and particularly to a coin controlledmachine for vending newspapers. I

An object-of the invention istoprovidea'vending ma; chine of the class described" which is' low'incost and. sim ple in operation.

Another object of the invention is" to provide acoin controlled vending machine whichhas a" minimum of operative parts to permit simplicity offassernbly an'doper ation.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a vending machine of the class described in which a coin closes a circuit to an electric motor; I

object of theinvention; also; isto providean elec= tric' motor driven vending machine with self c'ontained source of electric energy.

A furtherobject is to provide'a c'oin:controlledvending' machine ofthe typedescribed which is rugge'd'inconstruction; simple inoperatio'n and. which can b'e-prod'uced at moderate cost; 7

These and other objects will" appear as" the following specification proceeds; which talieniwith the accompanyihg drawings forms a complete disclosureof my'invention.

In. the drawings, wherein'throu'ghoutthe severalfigures like characters of reference" indicate the same elements;-

Fig; l' isa front elevation; partly'cutfaway; showing the" principal elements of' the operating mechanism,

Fig; 2' is a cross section substantially on theline 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3' is a fragmentary view'of the paper ejecting; meains,

Fig; 4' is a sectionon th'e'line 4 -4. of Fig; 3',

Eig.15'is a" detached view'of' the coin chute, as seen from the" rear in Figs 1,

Fig. 6'is a sectionon'the'line 6-'-6 of Fig: 5,

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of the: lbweren'd of the" coim chuteas'viewed fro'nr abovean'd at about line' 7-'-7 ofFig; 5;

Fig. 8 is a view of the switch and operating-mechanism thereforaslscen'from the rearin'Fig: 1

Fig. 9 is.a partial" plan view'showing the back board or follower. and" the means for'operating same, the" construc= tion illustrated as lying on its side,

Fig. 10 is a perspective view ofthe means for'restoring' the switch to off position,

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary. view of the connection block,

Fig. 12' is. a fragmentary perspectivetview'of a means for mounting the ejector meansshaft.

The vending machine of this invention includes a cabinet having a front'wall 21, a; back wall 22, end walls 23', 24; and a top 25 having a substantially horizontal portion 26 and a downwardly inclined portion 27 In portion 27. there is a" glass 28; permitting one to observe if papers are present in the cabinet;

The cabinet has a bottom 29 above which is located a false bottom 30. The space between bottom 29" and false bottom 30 constitutes" a housing forabattery generally denoted as 31,. which may consist. ofl cells 2 or storage cells as. desired. Brackets 32;. 33' and hold battery 31' in place.--

The operating mechanism comprises a motor. 355aing'an armature shaft 36'mountedin a housing37 which isattachedto the back plater22'by bolts 38' and 39. This motor is of the type used with electric windshield wipers. In. the-housing 37 are gearsf'or oscillatingshaftAOl Oscillating shaft 40"has a p1ate41 thereonv on which iSJa'djustably mounted a crank arm 4Z'having,a's1ot"43 for screws 4'4 to hold. arm 42in proper adjustedposition. Arm'42" is pivotedat"4'5to one endlof' 1ink"46 the other end of which is-pivoted at 47to arm 48 -att'ached to rock shaft'49.

R'ockshaftf49- is mounted for rotation in a pair. of identical U-shaped" bearingfmembersfil' integrally at.- tached' to plates 50 mounted'onend plates 23" and241 One-"of. these is shown in detail in Fig. 12; The shaft isretained. by. any suitable means, shown. herein as a cotter pin. 52 passing through openings in bearing 51'.

Suitably, attached to shaft 49' are a pair of arms 53; 54, which may be identical, butare here shown as allochiral. The arm 53 is shown in detail in Fig. 3; and has a lip 55 turned-at one end to act as a stop as hereinafter explained; Piv'ots'56and 57 on arms 53 andS i mount eject'or'niea'n's 58' and59. Ejector 58 is shown indetail in Fig. 3 and has at its outer end a pin 60,,the purpose of which will later appear. Also on ejector 58 is a slide 61of substantiallyrectangular. cross section tubing, which acts as astripping. means.

The lowerend of arm 53 has an L-shapedportion 62 havingani' opening, 63 therein. Connected to opening 63 and to bolt 64011 slide 61 is a link? 65. Also' connecting ejector 58 and arm53 is a sp'ringi661 Itlist'o' be understood that. ejector '59 isprovided' with elements as described above for'ejec'to'r'58which are identical ex cept' for the allochiral: arrangement shown in Fig. 1.

Mounted on the front plate 21 is a coin. chute 67- having a hopper portion 68; a discharge" portion 69 and aniinvertedtrough portion 70 Chute 67' is mounted on plate 21 by brackets' 71, 72" and" screws 73*, 74. Located on panel 27, above hopper 68 is a coin slot 75. The discharge portion of the-chute. is shown in Fig: 7' as having furcations 76, 77 and upstanding flanges 78 and. 79. The furcatio'ns'76 and 77 provide a slot 80 to. ac" commodate tripper 81 forswitch 82. SWiIChSZ iS shown in Fig. 8' and comprises a conventional mercury switch tube 87 pivotally mounted on pivot 83 on bracket 84 and having lead-in contact members 85 and 86 as is usual in a single pole single throw' mercury, switch;

A single pole switch 88 suitablymounted on panel 23 is the main switch. This switch is suitablyconne'ctedi to switch 82 and to the battery 31. Located between switch 82" and motor 35 is a safety" switch 89, as shown in Fig. 11, whichmay bea conventional microswitch housed in housing 90 attached to bracket 91. This switch has an operator 92 having a lazy S-shaped form With an upstanding portion. 94 for a purpose which will later appear. Connections are made to switch 87 by binding posts 95 and. 96.

As shown in Figure 10, an- L-shaped bracket 97 fastenedtofalse bottom. 30 by suitable fastening means.

98 extends the length oiithev machine and has attached.

thereto near switch 82. a. plate the upper end of which.

is. bifurcated, and the. furcaticns of which have turned over end portions 10%;. 1 01% constituting hinge. or pivot means for bent' 'lever 102. Lever 1% has a downwardly extending portion. 103:- and a substantially horizontal portion 104'. The downwardly extending portion- 103 extends substantially across a slot. 105 which extends'substantially the length of false bottom 3h adjacent bracket 97. 'The horizontal portion of lever 102- extends normally beneath switch tripper'81 and normally overbalances portion 103.

Adjacent slot 105 opposite bracket 97 is a substantially L-shaped bracket or ledge 106 fastened to false bottom 30 by screws 107. This bracket constitutes a stop plate to engage the fold portion of the forwardmost newspaper placed over false bottom 30.

Below bracket 106 attached to false bottom 30 by screws 109 is a downwardly curved plate or J-shaped chute 108 having at its outer end an upturned lip 110. Front plate 21 and bottom 29 are spaced from each other to provide a gap 111 to accommodate plate 108 and thus provide an ejector chute for papers delivered by the machine.

To position the papers with the forwardmost paper against bracket 106 there is provided a follower plate 112 mounted at an angle to the vertical, as shown in Fig. 2, and provided with a brace 113. Mounted on false bottom 30 is a pair of track members 114 and 115 which may be shallow channel members. Slidably mounted in the track members are the ends of two slides 116 and 117 connected by straps 118 and 119. The follower plate .112 is connected to slide 117 and the brace 113 is connected to slide 116.

An arm 120 is pivoted at 121 on false bottom 30, and is provided with a plurality of holes 122 to receive selectively one end of spring 123 anchored at 124 on false bottom 30.

Curved plate 108 is cut away as at 125 to provide a finger opening for grasping a paper delivered by ejectors 58 and 59.

In Fig. 6 the' coin chute 67 is shown as an inverted trough. This permits escape of coins and slugs of a diameter materially smaller than those which should operate the machine.

A bracket 126, Figure 2, is suitably mounted on back 22 and a latch 127 is pivoted at 128 thereon. Latch 127 has a hook 129 at one side of the pivot and an operating handle 130 at the other side of the pivot.

Arms 131 and 133, Figure 1, attached respectively to end walls 24 and 23 and having eyes 132 and 134 thereon, respectively, are positioned to prevent papers being pushed too far forward.

Ann 120 is forced by spring 123 against brace 113 to advance follower plate 112 against the stack of papers in the machine, as shown in Figures 2 and 9.

The lid or top portion is hinged at 135 on the back section, and a lock 136 is provided on the front 21 to prevent opening.

To prepare the machine for operation, the top 25 is opened, follower plate 112 is pushed back and the upper edge thereof engaged by book 129 on latch 127. A stack of papers is placed in the machine with their folds down and the forwardmost paper against bracket 106. Follower plate 112 is then released and presses the papers firmly against bracket 106. The degree of pressure can be adjusted by placing the end of spring 123 in the desired hole 122 in arm 120. Switch 88 is closed and as the forward edge of the stack of papers presses against operator 94 for switch 89, completing the circuit to the motor, except that switch 82 is normally open. Since tripper 81 of this switch extends into the slot 80 of chute end 69, a coin dropped through slot 75 into hopper 68 will slide down chute 67 and rock switch element 87 about pivot 83 to close the circuit through contacts 85 and 86. The mercury switch remains closed due to the overbalance caused by the weight of the mercury. This will complete the circuit to the motor and shaft 36 will rotate and through the internal gears, will oscillate plate 41 and arm 42. This, through link 46 and arm 48, will rock shaft 49. As shaft 49 rotates in a clockwise direction (Figs. 2 and 3) the upper ends of ejectors 58 and 59 will engage the forwardmost paper. Pin 60 will penetrate the forwardmost paper slightly and lift it above the bracket 106. Further operation of the motor will rock the shaft 49 counterclockwise, and tail 137 on ejector 58 will engage lip 55' on arm 53. The counterclockwise movement will cause slide 61 to sheath pin 60, releasing the paper. As the paper drops onto plate 108 it engages portion 103 of lever 102 rotating it to cause portion 104 to engage tripper 81 and raise it to open switch 82, thus stopping the motor. This completes one cycle of operation which is repeated each time a coin is inserted and papers are present. When no papers are present switch 89 will open to disable the machine.

The coins may fall onto the false bottom, but may be collected in a cup or other suitable receptacle placed under chute portion 69.

It is to be understood that while a specific form of the invention has been delineated herein, it is by no means to be considered so limited except within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A paper vending machine comprising a housing adapted to receive papers to be dispensed, said housing having a discharge opening, a ledge within said housing against which papers to be dispensed are pressed, a follower adapted to press papers against said ledge, a paper discharge chute in said discharge opening, a coin controlled ejector mechanism including an electric motor, a rock shaft operatively connected to said motor, a pair of ejecting members on said shaft, said ejecting members having arms fixed to said rock shaft, pivoted arms on said fixed arms adapted to engage papers to lift them over said ledge, means on said pivoted arms for releasing them from said papers at one position of movement of said arms, a coin chute, a normally open switch adjacent said coin chute having an operator in the path of a coin descending saidchute adapted to move said switch to closed position to start the motor, a trip lever adjacent said paper discharge chute to be operated by a dispensed paper to lift the operator to open the motor circuit.

2. An ejecting means for a newspaper vending machine comprising a rock shaft, a pair of ejecting members on said shaft having arms fixed to said shaft, arms pivoted to said fixed arms adapted at their free ends to engage papers to be dispensed, a tension spring connecting said fixed and pivoted arms, disabling sleeves mounted on said pivoted arms, a link between said sleeve and said fixed arm, pins on the ends of said pivoted arms, the arrangement being suchv that rotation of the rock shaft in one direction retracts the sleeve and causes the pins to engage a paper, further rotation lifting the paper, then reverse rotation permits the spring to pull the arms toward each other causing the sleeve to cover the pins to disable the ejector, and an electric motor operatively connected to said rock. shaft.

3. The device of claim 2 including a housing inclosing said parts, a battery compartment in said housing and an electric battery in said compartment.

4. A paper vending machine comprising a housing adapted to receive papers to be dispensed, said housing having a discharge opening, a ledge within said housing against which papers to be dispensed are pressed, a follower adapted to press papers against said ledge, an ejector mechanism including an electric motor, an operating shaft operatively connected to said operating electric motor, a pair of ejecting members operatively connected to said operating shaft, said ejecting members having arms adapted to engage papers one at a time to lift them over said ledge, means on said pivoted arms for discharging one of said papers after said arms have lifted the same over said ledge, whereby said disengaged paper may pass through said discharge opening.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 in which said means disengaging said pivoted arms from one of said papers comprises sleeves slidable on said arms.

6. An ejectingmeans for a newspaper vending machine comprising a rock shaft, a pair of ejecting members on said shaft having arms fixed to said shaft, arms pivoted to said fixed arms adapted at their free ends to engage papers to be dispensed, a tension spring connecting said fixed and pivoted arms, disabling sleeves mounted on said pivoted arms, a link between said sleeves and said fixed arms, pins on the ends of said pivoted arms, the arrangement being such that rotation of the rock shaft in one direction retracts the sleeve and causes the pins to engage a paper, further rotation lifting the paper, then reverse rotation permits the spring to ull the arms toward each other causing the sleeve to cover the pins to disable the ejector, and an electric motor operatively connected to said rock shaft, a. housing enclosing all of aforementioned parts, a slot in said housing, a ledge mounted above said slot against which a paper to be dispensed is located, whereby said pins on said pivoted arms move said paper upwardly so as to clear said ledge, said paper moving through said opening upon disengagement by said pins.

7. An ejecting means for a newspaper vending machine comprising an operating shaft, a pair of ejecting members on said shaft having arms fixed to said shaft, arms pivoted to said fixed arms having pins on their ends 6 adapted to engage papers to be dispensed, disabling sleeves slidably mounted on said arms adapted to free a newspaper from said pins when said sleeves are in their extended position on said arms, a housing for said parts, said housing having an outlet opening and a ledge, the arrangement being such that upon rotation of said operating shaft in one direction said pins are caused to engage a paper, lift the paper above said ledge, then release said paper upon upward sliding movement of said sleeves to permit said paper to go through said outlet opening in said housing, and an electric motor operatively connected to said operating shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,229,054 Fife June 5, 1917 1,857,881 Scott May 10, 1932 2,285,068 Titus June 2, 1942 2,376,403 Thompson May 22, 1945 2,444,389 Wagner June 29, 1948 

